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Went out fishing in SE Florida with a guide I had previously used and who is the best in the business, and needless to say the results were amazing. A combination of shiners, frogs, spoons, worms, and lipless crank baits caught us over 70 bass. These were the best pictures of the day, but we caught a lot more. Best LMB went 5.93 pounds on the last cast of the day and the biggest pea went 6.03lbs. Countless 4-5lbers were caught as well. These peas put up quite the fight on a medium action spinning rod! By far, the best fishing day I have ever had.

My tackle box has a neat trolling motor attachment and needs to be trailered. It's pretty heavy but there's still plenty of room for more A-Jay

1400lbs+

Today I just recieved a powell endurance 714 from BR's very own ABW. He sent it to me just in time for a sick topwater bite! I really needed this rod to pull these bass out of the thick reeds at a new pond. I was using salad spoons, stanley ribbits and rage toads. I'll have a video coming soon with all the blowups, but for now I've got some photos of the bass and a really slick rod

"Match the hatch" is a trout fishing term used when there is a hatch of a particular type of insect that is emerging on the river that the trout are feeding on. Fly fishermen try to match their fly to look like that insect. Of course there are times when bass a keying on a particular food type and you would be smart to try and copy that. But, most times, bass are opportunistic feeders that when hungry, will eat nearly anything. I usually don't start out trying to match the hatch, but if I catch a few fish that are coughing up a lot of the same type food, I'll switch to something that resembles what they have been feeding on. For you guys who rely on matching the hatch, explain why worms are one of the most successful baits of all time when worms are seldom found swimming around in lakes.

Few little things that @Master Bait'r will appreciate.

And then there's this . . . . I'd say it depends who you work with. If an individual is apt to end you, I'd imagine there may be cause for an alternate presentation. Though not your friend, it is someone's wife, sister or mother. Perhaps it boils down to self discipline & respect. How would ones life be different if the negative judgmental assumptions about people encountered stopped ? Looking for the good and respecting their journey is cool too. A-Jay

We tradesmen had to take a class on empathy last week. I was asked to leave. That wasn't very empathetic of the trainer.

Probably won't get out for at least few weeks so everything came out of the boat, plus UPS dropped off a new rod . Finally grabbed the XX Spinnerbait Special, I think I'm going to pair it with the Scorpion DC and use it for dock skipping in addition to spinnerbaits...But any of the reels in the pile might find a home on it. The rods from the boat (except the new one), can you tell I like St Croix? Although MB is starting to make it's presence known . And why not throw a fish in there too, a dink from last Sunday on Lake Anna...Caught on the rod I'm likely reassigning now that the SS is in my lineup. Unfortunately not many fish bigger than this made in the boat, but being on the water without the cold weather gear on Dec 27th was good enough...

Got my Powell inferno 6'10" L spinning rod today and only had a few minutes to look it over but it looks great! Brought it with me on an overnighter with the wife. Going to hit the bank at a small lake tomorrow and try it out along with the new Orochi!

Maybe get a little creative ? A-Jay

Always wanted to give the Bullflat a try...Might have went a little overboard, but I had to get enough to make it worthwhile shipping from Japan...Right?

FloridaFishinFool you are not the only one here that wants to maximize catching and not retrieving lures. There are times when a crankbait will out produce other techniques. Throw one enough and you will hang it up where it will not come loose without a retriever. In less time than you will likely spend trying to pull it loose, I can free it using a knocker/chain retriever. I have been fishing a long time too, and can say with confidence that anyone who throws a crankbait often, especially in wood, will lose more without a retriever than with one. I have fished with guys who will not spend any time retrieving lures, and guys who will spend 10 minutes or more trying to retrieve a cheap bait. A retriever is a fast, easy way to save both time and money.

I've experienced times when color made absolutely no difference at all, I would switch colors to the opposite end of the color spectrum, and that color woukd be productive. I've experienced times when I had to change colors constantly to continue getting bit, catch 3-4, change colors, and catch 3-4 more. This pattern would continue all day or night. I've experienced times when if ya wasn't throwing a particular color ya wasn't getting bit period!As for size of the lure, it depends on the body of water, some places I fish do not have a population of large bass (3 lbs +) so throwing large baits would be an exercise in futility! But then again I've caught large bass (6-9 lbs) on small baits! I make color and size selections based on previoys experience with a body of water and current conditions.

Just to add 1 more thing Raider. Jumping from a construction site to an end user facility is a bigger adjustment than you think. I jump from a field Superintendent to the office as a Project Manager/Estimator on a regular basis and it still takes me time to "settle in". Instead of starting at 5:30 and out at 2-2:30, my day starts 2 hours later and ends at 5:00 pm. I've never gotten used to the "structured" climate of an office. The field has a totally different structure, but you do enjoy more freedom out there. You will be surrounded by peeps who are not building constructors so the conversations are a lot different as well. Just wanted you to carefully consider this move. It sounds like less wear and tear on the body and overall would be better for your health in the long run. I'll be 50 this summer and have been experiencing problems in my knee. Doc says a little old age and more wear and tear from the job. I've been really taking serious steps these past few years of not so much trying to beat mother nature, but trying to keep up. Being young and in construction was a lot more fun than being older and seeing what it does to your body. Just be prepared for a change in work life style. Consider the position wisely. John

I have found matching the size is much more important than matching a color. If the bass are feeding on small minnows, I just switch to a really small baitfish profile. I don't really worry too much about the color.

I've researched tournament results for the last 25 years and not just the Pros but everything I could find on the web. I also researched results for double digit bass over that same time frame. From that data 7 out of 10 Texas Rig anglers say a Jig-N- Trailer is their #2 weapon if choice. 7 out of 10 Jig anglers say a Texas Rig is their #2 weapon of choice. 6 out of 10 tournaments were won on Texas Rigs 5 out of 10 double digit bass were caught on Texas Rigs

Yea, me neither..

Picked this up on Monday. Megabass Orochi X4 F3-68X4 "Rattle Viper Technical Game" Also picked up a MetaniumXG and am going back and forth between putting the AldebaranHG or the Met on it.

Yeah - like Diggy I never even gave it any thought. I palm the reel as well and have several fingers wrapped around the blank between the front and rear of the reel seat and never noticed any discomfort. My most used NRX is an 893C and after hours of use I don't have any comfort problems. Of course, it helps if you're catching fish...

It's comparable in size to a Tatula. I think it's the angle but it does look tiny in his pic.

If you use a shad crankbait or spinnerbait ... in a lake full of shad its not going to match the hatch very well . The action of those lures are going to make it stand out .

Yeah, as a specific example I just placed an order with Siebert Outfoors for a dozen 1 oz football jigs, brown with a few strands of blue after watching a video featuring Mark Zona. This is a color and a presentation I would NEVER choose on my own!

I bank fish a lot, actually I do more bank fishing than boat fishing and sometimes you may recover the bait by pulling from behind like RW mentions if it is possible, other times, well, gotta bite one of your testicles and pull hoping for the best outcome. Lure retrievers are not magical and not always you are able to recover your bait, for bank fishermen the situation is a lot worse.

I just ordered the Megabass Levante "Perfect Pitch" and it should be arriving Tuesday. I'm pumped that Megabass released an affordable offering. I'm pairing mine with a JDM Shimano Exsense DC that I just received. First impressions of the reel are; it's a smooth and flawlessly engineered piece of equipment. I'll post pictures of the combo on this thread sometime next week. By the way; if you're going to order that Levante off TW, get on it if you can, there was only 1 left in stock when I purchased mine. Just a heads up. Great combo man! JC

I try to concentrate on what my lure is doing, location and depth would be first, second and third in no particular order and finally color selection would be the last thing I try and dial in.

Good going! That's the way to break in a new rod.

Speaking of higher grade pistol grip rods I have my first one my grandmother bought for me in the 80's it's a beautiful custom 5'6" graphite rod with a fugi removable grip and top of the line components. And also have the shimano bantam 251SG mag plus still in the box. That reels was 75 bucks back then. Also have the last pistol grip rod I bought in like 92, gloomis 5'6" IM6 with cork handle and it's like brand new. Would post pics but it's a pita. I read that shimano is coming out with a bantam reel this yr?

There is ALWAYS room

Yup, it's not the best for some of those lures but get what you can afford and use it. Also with a moderate fast action you can add crank baits to the list to.

The worst thing about this is Shimano themselves can't (or won't) even tell you the problem. Same went for the gooey knobs

I agree. When the trend became longer rods, the pistol grip was dead in the water. You needed a longer handle and a different grip point to add some balance to the rod. Rod companies stopped making high quality pistol gripped rods when people stopped buying them in favor of a longer, straight gripped rod. That's why most pistol grip rods made today are low quality, the people who buy them aren't going to spend $60-$100 for a rod and reel.

Id love to find some of these.you are correct though back then they put more quality in all the pistol grips .thats what they used most i think every decade length moved 6 inchs once you hit 6'6" its more about distance then they added long handles so you could push the bottom and your wrist became the fulcrum instead of your power.

A 5500c3 abu garcia will work for the SBR .the reel will outlast the rod and lots of trouble free fishing.they run about 130$ or you can look for a used one in good shape from about 40$ to $80 bucks .load it with some 15 big game and your all set

There is no such thing as getting carried 'away', it's more of a homecoming IMO. Nice trick darters too!

Yes then start typing the persons screen name and a pull down menu appears - just click or finish typing the name.

Still have some pistol grip rods. Shakespeare USA graphite rods a president rod and a cabelas fisheagle . All through the handle graphite. I also have a sears rebranded ugly stick called a tuffstick with a lifetime warranty? And an old Shimano .

Not all of them, just that if you look at Bass Pro Shops available pistol grip rods made today, all of them are priced under $20. So I think the point was that today's newer pistol grip rods are being built to a lower standard. Like you, I have older pistol grip rods that are of a much higher quality like my old Shimano graphite rod from the mid 1980's. It is a very nice quality graphite rod with stainless steel almost chrome handle. They are not making them like this any more. Here is an example of the higher quality shimano rod of the past: Tournament bass professionals were using these back in mid 80's. It was good stuff back then. Still is today, but this is not what you will find at Bass Pro today, not even close!

To be totally honest I was asked to stay after and then scolded by this woman. Apparently I ticked her off a year ago when I was hired and she hasn't forgot. Not sure what I did specifically but I p'od all the HR training crew. Only one I remember ticking off was the girl who's in charge of the benefits. I told her she'd be better off financially if, rather than spending $150 a month on meds, she took her sick cat to the woods and fed it to the coyotes, and then pick up a healthy cat from the pound. She hates me to this day...but I digress . We had a meeting on customer service 2 weeks ago and empathy and sympathy last week. The meeting was split into 2 groups of tradesmen. She does this intentionally to keep me and another guy, who I will refer to as T to keep his anonymity, apart because we both feed into each other and are not afraid to say what's on our minds. Anyway, the other group went first. I get back from lunch and the sparky(team lead) tells me "Don't get kicked out of the meeting. T already ticked her off. T tells me "Tell her she wasn't very empathetic the way she treated me" I walk into the meeting, it hasn't started yet. I say to the trainer "I was told not to get kicked out so I will do my best not to" and I sat down. Now, normally when I walk into meetings that she holds she warns me to keep my mouth shut before I even sit down. In fact, the customer service meeting 2 weeks ago when I walked in, she asked how my shoulder was doing and held up her index and middle fingers and said she would dig them into my wound if I got out of line. Back to the meeting in question. I sit down and raise my hand and ask to stand up because it is more comfortable for my shoulder. She says ok. I stood up and said "By the way, T said you weren't very empathetic towards him during his meeting, I hope we don't have that same problem" She gives me the evil eye and begins the training session. A bit later I mad a quick sarcastic comment about the plumber. I then tried to engage in conversation about the topic at hand. and was asked to stop interrupting. The meeting was over and she dismissed everyone except me. "Do you do this to me on purpose?" "Nope" (What I wanted to say was "Don't feel special, I treat everyone like this") "Why do you always interrupt my classes?" "I apologize for the remark about the plumber because that interrupted the class. I'm not apologizing for anything else" By now, she had smoke coming out of her ears and was grinding her teeth. Her next class was walking in the door and she said "If you have a problem with me we need to handle this one on one" I said "I don't have a problem with anyone" and I walked out. In my defense, I treat everyone equally. Some just more equally than others. I get along with everybody, just not everybody gets along with me. In fact, the girl who accused me of being mean, some months ago, gave me a hand written Christmas card saying what a help I have been to her and that she missed me when I was out for surgery, and I've become a good work friend. I don't show up to work to make friends. I show up to work. Is that such a bad thing?

Ya don't have to lose the beard, just trim and clean it up. Wear long sleeves and cover the ink but be up front about it. Ask them if the ink will offend anyone. Don't go in looking like you fell in a tackle box, take off the hardware if you have any poercings that is. Finally, take a shower and use soap, don't take a dip in the detention pond out back.

Wanted to remember what it feels like to set the hook like a man, so I threw this instead of the shakeyhead. Fun stuff and my first two cold water jig fish.

how to rig a stupid tube (a great presentation for skipping by the way)

The PQ is arguably the biggest bang for the buck in your list and comes in a variety of ratio and lefty-righty configurations. The PQ lews and Pflueger are all on the same platform. You don't need anything specialized. A sturdy frame, good drag (smooth and consistent more than lock down) left hand retrieve, comfortable size and fast ratio/ipt are my preferences.

Picked this up on Monday. Megabass Orochi X4 F3-68X4 "Rattle Viper Technical Game" Also picked up a MetaniumXG and am going back and forth between putting the AldebaranHG or the Met on it.

Finally got my loot from Wisconson heat..the package took the circuitous route, no fault of his. I can always use extra trebles, trusty rapala minnows work all the time, that spinnerbait is a perfect color for my home lake...and I love me some rage blades..thanks buddy, and a big thanks to FD for putting this together!

They're both built in same factory. Pick the one that feels the best in your hands. Quality shouldn't be a concern with either.

I have a decades old Lew's Speed Stick that I use for spinnerbaits and buzzbaits in my kayak. It's a little awkward at first but I adjust quickly.

Deaknh03......I....am....your father....

There are many, just choose the sonar technology you want in your search. There are several websites just about Humminbird Side Imaging if that is what you want to learn.

Got a couple nice rods on the Lucky Craft/Powell day. I hope they're nice rods. Haven't gotten them yet.